Beyond The Lens: Queer, Nonbinary, and Trans Liberation, Resistance, and Community

Mark Seliger (b. 1959, Amarillo, TX) (he/him) is an American photographer known for his portraits of celebrities and public figures, including Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Mick Jagger. Seliger has created covers for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Elle, among others. His work is held in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the National Portrait Gallery in London; and now the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
 

Follow on Instagram: @markseliger

Ally Schmaling (they/them) is a non-binary portrait photographer, joy machine, and an interdisciplinary maximalist. Ally is particularly dedicated to the documentation and elevation of queer and gender-expansive communities in Boston. Their colorful painterly work aims to express the most dynamic, unapologetic, and expansive “themness” of their subjects—a celebration of the impossible breadth of what bodies can be and look like. As a non-binary queer person, Ally’s portrait work is informed by their own mercurial experience of gender and their continual pursuit of shaping an identity outside of binary constructs. In addition to creating portraiture, Ally is dedicated to community engagement and activism in Boston and beyond. Ally believes, unequivocally, in the dignity and beauty of all humans.

Follow on Instagram: @allyschmaling

Olivia Slaughter (she/they), a self-taught photographer, redefines storytelling through their lens, allowing subjects to shape their own narratives. Featured by Vogue Italia, Time Magazine, and the Boston Art Review, Slaughter’s work is a vibrant exploration of light, movement, and color, capturing today’s living history. Recognized for their commitment to racial justice, Olivia received an Honorarium from the Harvard University Committee on the Arts. A fixture in Boston’s artistic community, they served as the artist in residence at Harvard Art Lab and Windy Films. Beyond photography, Olivia actively seeks collaborations with artists of color and all genders. Their impactful contributions extend to projects with Hilary Hahn, Ayanna Pressley, The Boston Globe, and as creative director for WBUR’s Sound On Series. They also have shown work in collaboration with the ICA and Virgil Abloh. Through their work, Olivia Slaughter sparks conversations, empowering individuals to define their stories and challenging the narrative of our shared history.

Follow on Instagram: @slaughter.olivia

Jaypix Belmer (Jaypix Belmer) is a non-binary Indigenous person of color, who works in photography and design capturing the “visual soul of their subjects.” Born and raised in Boston, Jaypix photographs and engages with communities of color, LGBTQ communities, and other historically or currently excluded or disenfranchised communities in Greater Boston. Jaypix’s professional style combines innovative design and artistically bold portraits that shine a light on individuals, enabling confidence towards the pursuit of their own vision. Being able to capture a feeling rather than a moment is a unique aesthetic evident throughout their work. Jaypix has an extreme commitment to storytelling. Through dialogue Jaypix establishes a strong relationship with the people they photograph, which results in creative image-making. Jaypix brings awareness to public spaces and institutional complexes to generate conversations about community and unconsidered people and places in our everyday lives. When not assisting people with transformation, Jaypix works on local and national commercial projects based around anthropology, amplifying the artist identity and honoring environmental assets through archiving and exhibition to build vibrant livable neighborhoods.

Follow on Instagram: @jaypixmof

After graduating with a degree in African and African Diaspora Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, Hakeem Adewumi (b.1990, US) (he/him) was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship scholarship to Johannesburg, South Africa. His work has been exhibited at the Houston Museum of African American Culture, Houston, TX; the George Washington Carver Museum and Culture Center, Austin, TX; the Janette Kennedy Gallery, Dallas, TX; and is in the collection of the Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection, Chapman University. Over the years Adewumi has curated several pop-up exhibitions including an experimental project, Juneteenth House (JH). This project is an immersive concept house and multidisciplinary studio merging design and art to explore placemaking, culture, and Black identity in Texas. Adewumi first came to the Gardner as an Artist-in-Residence in July 2023. He is also the Co-Director of Marketing for The Theater Offensive, a Boston-based theater company that focuses on issues affecting queer and trans people of color.

Giselle Byrd is the newly appointed Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, located in Boston, Massachusetts, where she is passionately continuing and amplifying the theater’s mission for uplifting and elevating the work of queer and transgender artists of color and LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies. With over ten years of experience, holding multiple roles in talent management, production, casting, script coverage, brand partnerships, and fundraising, Byrd has used her expertise to help elevate both talent and brand collaborations. Aiming to inspire members of her community to find their voices and showcase their greatness, Byrd has represented clients who work in the entertainment industry, social justice activism, and digital media. As a producer, she holds the honor of being the first transgender woman to be accepted into Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program. Her documentary film debut, Giselle’s Story, directed by Susan O’Brien, was accepted into the Imagine This International Women’s Festival. Her subsequent film, When We Arrive As Flowers, executive produced by Alexandra Billings, was screened in numerous film festivals throughout the country during the 2022-2023 season, continuing her personal mission of advocating and educating a diverse array of communities on the beauty of transgender life, through a cinematic lens. In addition to this work, Byrd serves on the Board of Directors at both Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which provides healthcare and resources to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, regardless of their ability to pay, and The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which is the world’s only contemporary art museum dedicated to LGBTQIA+ artists. She is also a member of the advisory board for The Ali Forney Center, which provides transitional housing, education, health, career, and food services to displaced at-risk LGBTQIA+ youth.

Follow on Instagram: @thegisellekristina